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The US Ambassador is learning Welsh ahead of President Barack Obama’s visit to Wales for the NATO summit in September.

The US Embassy also put together a video highlighting the links between Wales and America, which included the surprising fact that 16 of the men who signed the Declaration of Independence were of Welsh descent, and that the number of Americans named Williams, Evans or Jones is actually higher than the total population of Wales.

The Alarm, whose frontman Mike Peters was born in Prestatyn, feature on the soundtrack, as well as Duffy, from Nefyn and John Cale, the former Velvet Underground member from Wrexham.

A spokesperson for the Embassy in London, said: “This has all kind of taken us by surprise — not just the video, but the visit itself. There’s been a lot of enthusiasm: even our ambassador has been taking Welsh lessons. People are really excited.

“It might sound kind of corny, but we love the chance to get out and see the rest of the UK, and Wales is fantastic.”

President Obama is the first sitting President to visit Wales, so the social media team at the Embassy put together an animation exploring the connections between Wales and America.

“It’s surprising because the connections are so strong — the 16 Welsh signatories to the Declaration of Independence, the connections with Yale and Brown Universities as well as all the Hollywood actors.”

“We know they’re excited as whether the President was coming or not hasn’t even been in debate”

President Obama will be attending the summit on September 4 and 5 at the Celtic Manor in Newport. As well as the American President, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande are expected to attend, alongside 60 other leaders and senior ministers from the organisation.